by Ten Deep Breaths

Created on: August 30, 2007

There is one fundamental reason that makes cell phones stand out above all other distractions that drivers face in their cars.

Using cell phones whilst driving is a distraction; there is little debate about that point, however drivers face many distractions be it the radio, conversations with a passenger, noisy or naughty children, or eating. So why is it that using a cell phone should be singled out for special treatment?

Driving is an inherently dangerous practice. Car manufacturers have spent millions of dollars making cars as safe as possible; but that doesn't change the fact that whilst driving, soft and squishy human beings are moving at great speed with lots and lots of hard, inanimate objects all around. It is only through the continuous concentration of those human beings that death or serious injury is avoided.

There are many distractions faced by drivers, and advocates of the cell phone will be quick to point these out. However to counter some of the examples that could be given, the car radio is by it's very nature, a background noise that the driver can tune out' if required; passengers with any degree of common sense will stop talking when they can see that a difficult maneuver is being undertaken, or at least when told; and habits such as eating at the wheel will generally cease when the driver needs to concentrate on the road. In each case, the source of the distraction is either within the confines of the car, and therefore subject to the same risks as the driver, or is only a distraction because the driver allows it to be.

Now consider how cell phones are used; we'll ignore for the moment the need to press small buttons or read small or obscured text because as advocates will point out that voice commands can be used in conjunction with a hands-free set. The cell phone allows a conversion to take place between the driver of the vehicle (who needs to concentrate on driving) and another person who is not in the car. This means that the person at the other end of the phone call has absolutely no idea of what is going on around the driver and will therefore keep talking keep distracting the driver, regardless of what is happening on the road. By it's very nature, a phone call requires concentration, and so we have something going on (as well as driving), that the driver needs to concentrate on, that may not stop distracting the driver, just because he needs to concentrate on driving.

This argument should in no way belittle the other distractions faced by drivers, and campaigns should continue to raise awareness of the dangers that these pose, but given the extra risk that cell phones pose, there is a clear and valid argument to support a complete ban on their use whilst driving.

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